(FREDERICTON, NB) Abby Sullivan's first goal of the season couldn't have come at a better time.
Sullivan(Orleans, Mass.) scored in the 88th minute, to give the UNB Varsity Reds a 1-1 draw with the Acadia Axewomen.
"We had so much fire behind us, I just felt like something was going to happen," said Sullivan.
The second year striker managed to get her head on Emily Burton's(Halifax, NS) corner kick, and nod it past Axewomen keeper Emma Connell(Hampton, NS).
"Once Emily hit the ball, I knew I was going to get it," said Sullivan. "It was a matter of just getting it in the net… and I was super excited to get it in."
Acadia controlled much of the play, and outshot the Varsity Reds 9-2.
With time winding down in the first half, Acadia's Emily Nickerson(Coldbrook, NS) put the visitors on the scoreboard.
Nickerson eluded UNB's corner kick coverage to head the ball past Varsity Reds keeper Sami Jo Bell(East Dover, NS).
The Axewomen took that 1-0 lead late into the second half.
While Sullivan's goal was disappointing for Acadia, it was hardly deflating.
"It definitely was a great game, we're taking a lot of positives from it. Definitely our toughest competition to date," said Axewomen midfielder Katie Ross(Bedford, NS).
"You feel like you've battled for the whole game, and when they get one chance and capitalize, you realize you had the same chances and weren't able to capitalize."
With the draw, the Varsity Reds are now 1-2-2 on the season, while Acadia is 4-0-1.
"A tie is good today," said Varsity Reds head coach Jon Crossland. "No one else has taken a point off that team this year, so far, so that might be a point, somewhere down the road, that we're going to look back on and be happy with."
After two difficult starts, Bell stopped 8 of the 9 shots on the UNB goal, and was named the Subway Player of the Game.
She was happy with the outcome.
"I think that was a step in the right direction," said Bell. "That is going to be one of the best teams that we play against, in the AUS, and I think we're going to take that performance and build off of it."
As for her own play, Bell admits she came in well prepared.
"This full week, I focused on myself and what I had to do… and I think I came out mentally and physically more prepared than I have the past two games."
"We persevered," said Bell. "We could've sat back and taken a 1-0 loss against one of the best teams in the AUS, but we fought and we deserved to get a point out of that."
Both teams are off until Friday.
Acadia hosts St. Mary's.
The Varsity Reds travel to Halifax to face the Tigers, in a 5:00PM start at Dalhousie.